NEW DELHI: Only 10% of children between 6 and 13 months received an adequate diet in 2015-16 as per National Family Health Survey-4. Citing this data the NITI Aayog in its strategy paper 'New India at 75', says the government's Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) has a "design limitation" because its focus on the first 1,000 days of the child's life-when over 80% of the brain development occurs-is inadequate.

Niti Aayog has said that the nutrition programmes in the country must accord the highest priority to this critical period of life. "However, the ICDS programme's most prominent activities are focused on the delivery of pre-school education and hot cooked meals as well as growth monitoring at anganwadi centres for children between 3 and 6 years," it is stated.

Besides the "design limitations", concern is also raised over how ICDS which is beset with problems like staff shortage, poor services and instances of food pilferage. "Given the complex nature of the challenge, a multi-dimensional approach is a must," NITI Aayog has said calling for urgent implementation of other national nutrition strategy. The NITI Aayog cites the launch of Poshan Abhiyaan (National Nutrition Mission) in March, 2018 as an attempt to provide guidance to high burden states and districts, facilitate multisectoral planning, catalyse resource mobilisation and develop a surveillance system for nutrition.

It calls for refining programme interventions to focus on first 1,000 days of the child and outreach work to reach out to mothers with infants with information and support. The paper emphasises on the need to develop and implement annual integrated health, nutrition and Swachh Bharat Mission action plans for all districts under Poshan Abhiyaan . Under the NNM the government has set targets for 2022-23 where it proposes to reduce the prevalence of stunting among children to 25% or less and reduce prevalence of malnutrition in children (0-6 years) to 25% or less.